Al Haqeeqa
In it, the reference to Fasting and Sadaqah by the Prophet, as the ‘doors of goodness,’ after he had spoken of the principal tenets of Islam, denotes, in our view, the supererogatory fasts and charity, and, that is, probably, why he has included Tahajjud as well which is the most superior of all the supererogatory prayers.
The Prophet has, further, declared that Islam was the ‘Head of the Faith.’ Apparently, Islam, here, signifies the acceptance of it as one’s religion, and its purport is that if a person does good deeds and his moral conduct and monetary dealings, too, are up to the mark, but he does not confess his faith in Islam, he will be like a body whose arms, legs etc., may be intact, but it is headless.
Besides, the holy Prophet has described Salah as ‘Pillar of Faith’ which shows that just as a building cannot endure without the pillar, Faith, also, does not last without Salah. The Prophet, again, said that Jihad, was the ‘Highest peak of Faith.’ The glory of Faith, obviously, is dependent on Jihad.
The last part of the saying, for which it has been reproduced here, tells that all the things mentioned in it are subject to the condition that one guarded one’s tongue. The indiscretions of the tongue deprive the good acts of their virtue. When Muad expressed his surprise at it and wanted to know if men will also be called to account for what they say, the Prophet exclaimed that people will go to Hell mostly owing to the sins they commit with their tongues. In our time, we can see that the major evils and transgressions that are prevalent in the society, and in respect of which we, on the whole, are negligent are mostly related to the tongue.
